The present invention relates to the art of agriculture, and in particular, to an apparatus and method for controlling the growth of unwanted plants in a cultivated crop.
In the field of agriculture, the problems associated with the uncontrolled growth of unwanted plants, such as weeds, volunteer plants, and the like, are well known. With respect to volunteer plants, the type of crop which is planted and grown in a particular field often changes from one growing season to the next in accordance with the farmer's desire yield, the desired crop rotation, weather conditions, and other similar factors. The rotation of the type of crop raised on the same plot of land typically results in the growth of volunteer plants, which grow as unwanted vegetation in the crop then being cultivated. Volunteer plants, like weeds, not only retard the growth of the cultivated crop, but also can cause substantial difficulties in the harvesting of the same, and reduce the unit price which the grower receives for the crop. The above noted problems are particularly exacerbated in those instances wherein the unwanted plants are relatively large, stalky plants, such as corn, milo, alfa, or the like, and/or bear a large fruit, as compared to the cultivated crop in which the volunteer plants are growing. This is especially true where the cultivated crop is a low profile crop, such as soybeans which grows fairly close to the ground and bears a small fruit.
Mechanical harvesting equipment is typically designed to process a certain type or group of crops which have similar physical characteristics. When such equipment encounters a type of plant which is quite dissimilar to the type of plant the device was designed to harvest, and attempts to process the same, substantial damage can result to the harvester. For example, a soybean harvester can become clogged and stall when it encounters large fully developed stalky plants, such as corn or milo. These unwanted plants which are processed by the harvester, serve to reduce the per bushel price which the farmer receives for the crop.
Not only do such large, unwanted plants retard the growth of the cultivated crop, lower the value of the harvested crop, and impede the mechanical harvesting thereof, but it is particularly difficult to effectively control the growth of such plants. The use of commercially available herbicides often do not effectively control the growth of volunteer plants, and the same thereafter present a particularly vexing problem. Further, the heavy use of herbicides in the control of unwanted plants can effect the wholesomeness and/or taste of the goods produced from the treated plants, thereby effecting their desirability for consumption. The problems associated with the use of some chemicals in the production of crops are clearly manifested by the existence of governmental agencies which constantly monitor such activities, as well as certain sects of consumers who profess eating only those foods which have been organically grown.